Biography
Born on 7 April 1919 in Loranie, Ohio, USA, Flanagan began his professional career accompanying several hometown ensembles on piano while still a teenager. In 1940 he joined Sammy Kaye as pianist-arranger. During World War II he served in the Merchant Marines. After the war he supplied charts to an array of orchestras, among them those led by Charlie Barnet, Gene Krupa, Blue Barron, Alvino Rey and Tony Pastor, as well as additional units, and he also contributed to sessions for vocalists such as Mindy Carson and Perry Como. His first major break arrived when Herb Hendler, then employed by a small independent label, asked him to assemble an album of Glenn Miller covers. The collection proved unexpectedly successful. When Hendler later joined RCA-Victor he convinced the company, which controlled the original Miller masters, to issue additional Flanagan recordings. On these releases Flanagan applied Miller-style scoring to pieces never associated with the Miller band. The discs moved briskly, prompting Flanagan to assemble a permanent orchestra early in 1950 and begin touring. Strongly shaped by the Miller model, the new ensemble featured the vocal group Singing Winds, whose sound recalled the Pied Pipers, and employed the male singer Harry Prime in the stylistic slot once occupied by Ray Eberle. The orchestra quickly became one of the most popular attractions on the big-band circuit, scoring hits with “Rag Mop,” “Nevertheless” and “Harbour Lights” in 1950, followed by “Slow Poke” and Flanagan’s own “Hot Toddy.” Its popularity ignited a broader Miller revival that drew both former Miller sidemen such as Ray Anthony and Jerry Gray and numerous musicians who had never worked with Miller into forming comparable groups. While most of these ensembles eventually disbanded, Flanagan remained active as a leader and arranger into the early 1960s.
Albums
